Get ready for “Made in Alma Day” at the library Saturday

Joe Butcher's 1914 truck is one of the vehicles thatwill be on display Saturday at Made in Alma Day at the Alma library. Behind his centennial truck is a blue 1927 model, another truck showcased at the library event. Sun photo by Linda Gittleman

Preparations are well under way for “Made in Alma Day” that takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Alma Public Library.

“Mr. Republic Truck” - also known as Joe Butcher of Alma - will bring his centennial 1914 truck along with a few others. Alma’s 1927 Republic fire truck will also be on display.

Butcher’s 1914 beauty is, “one of the oldest Republic trucks in running condition,” said Dave McMacken, one of the organizers of the event.

Roth tillers made from a company called Roth Industries that flourished in Alma in the 1940s and 50s will also be on display, along with a variety of items, including furniture and steering wheels from Lobdell Emory, McMacken said.

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Several displays of photographs from other businesses will be showcased. McVicker engines and milk bottles from the various dairies will also be on view. The items will be displayed both inside and outside the library, McMacken said.

A special treat will include the New Zealand author of a children’s book called, “The New Old Truck,” that chronicles a true story of a 1921 Republic truck purchased in 1938 by the author’s grandfather and eventually restored. The American edition of the book includes a piece about the Alma company.

Jennifer Somervell, the author, and her husband Ken will be in Alma for the weekend and at the library on Saturday. The library is the American distributor for her book, and it has lots of copies for sale at a price of about $13.

From about 1 p.m. until 2 p.m., a program will feature among others, Justin Schnabelrauch, editor of the “Agricultural Age.” He will present a slide show on Roth Industries and the tillers. McMacken will also speak about the Republic Truck and he will introduce Somervell, who’s expected to say a few words as well.

Current manufacturers will also be on hand - “Proof that manufacturing in Alma was not limited to the good, old days,” McMacken said.

“We’re planning on having four Republic trucks and what better place to have this?” he said. “We are only three or four blocks from where they were produced.”

The event, sponsored by the library and in part by the Friends of the Alma Public Library, is free and refreshments will be available from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

About the Author

Linda Gittleman’s alma mater is Western Michigan University where she majored in speech and English and her hometown is Alma. She’s worked at the Morning Sun's Alma office for more than 20 years. Reach the author at lgittleman@michigannewspapers.com
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